I'd like to do some Trail classes at the fair with my 21-year old paso fino gelding. Maybe a few Western Pleasure, a halter class if his confo is determined to be excellent, and maybe a walk, trot, canter class or something.
Arthur's one hangup is this: My family kept him and a few other riding horses at our house for a long time. 15 ish years. Then my mom got a divorce, and a few years later, when I was 6, we had to lease the two horses we still had (the others had passed of old age over time), Arthur and a Missouri Fox Trotter named Beau who were best friends, to a couple with open spots in their barn an hour away while my mom got her life back in order from the divorce. They paid for the vet, farrier, feed, bedding, etc, and rode them whenever they wanted. I got to see them only about 5 times during those 2 years. Then we were able to move Arthur (Beau had foundered) to my mom's friends barn, which was 5 minutes away from our house. Her friend had a horse that needed a friend, as his companion had recently died. I was 8 years old, so I took care of Arthur every day, rode often, etc. 2 years later, my mom's friend called us to tell us that she was selling her horse, and Arthur needed to be moved. I had an idea....I got our barn and pastures ready, working for months. By the time my mom's friend's horse was sold, Arthur was back on my property. I was overjoyed. We bought Lulu, a miniature horse mare, to keep him company. Arthur hated her. They annoyed the crap out of each other for a full year. However, when we bought a Paint Clydesdale gelding and a Welsh stallion, Arthur, being dominant, took to herding Lulu around incessantly. I couldn't ride Arthur now without ponying Lulu. It got really annoying, and has been going on for 2 years. I cannot ride Arthur anywhere without Lulu coming with us. He freaks, and does not cooperate. I try to assert myself and tell him who's boss by circling him in the back pastures. I make him walk away from the barn where Lulu is, and I have to kick him the whole way. He fights me the whole time. However, on the stretch of the circle heading in the direction of the barn, I have to keep him on such a tight rein. He just won't slow down. It is sooo annoying. He used to hate Lulu, but ever since we've had the stallion and the other gelding, he drives me insane. HAS to be near her. I can't groom him in cross ties without Lulu being there in the barn aisleway with him. How the heck can I stop this?? I obviously can't have her running behind us in the show ring at the fair! I know him. He won't perform if Lulu isn't there. And Lulu is not the best horse I've ever known. She bucks at Arthur the whole time we canter in the back fields, which gets Arthur going. If Lulu feels like hanging back on the ride, Arthur will wait for her and i CANT get him to go forward!! Should I use spurs?? A crop?? I don't want to hurt him. Sorry for the really long explanation....Here's a video of us riding. You can see how Arthur's fine with Lulu following us, but when she slows down, he halts and waits. And I sit there kicking like a maniac trying to get him to move.

Do you think he'll stop this behavior if I sell the other gelding and the stallion? I need to sell them anyway to make room for my friend, who will hopefully be buying and boarding a horse on my property soon.

thunderhooves

12-12-2009 02:10 PM

heres an idea............. how about sell the mini? It sure seems like you go through horses fast, to sell the other two before you sell the mini.

equiniphile

12-12-2009 02:17 PM

The other horses died of old age. Beau foundered because the people we leased him to put him out on fresh grass for too long too early. We have to sell the other gelding because he bites and kicks really badly, which his previous owners never informed us of. The stallion I need to sell because he's stressing Arthur out, who's herding Lulu around like crazy. If I sell Lulu, Arthur will be heartbroken. I don't think I can do that to him. His obsession with her started as a show of dominance, but it's matured to an actual bond. To the extreme. I mean, you should have heard him crying when I took Lulu in the back pastures to be lunged the other day. It was pitiful

justsambam08

12-12-2009 09:50 PM

!!!! (thunderhooves you're so awesome xD)

*ahem* back to the matter at hand--You should probably try working with him on the ground first before getting up into the saddle. Just practice walking away from her by picking a spot 'x' distance away, and go there. Let him fight and cry and do whatever else, but don't let him turn around, just keep facing away from her. When you get there, don't let him return to lulu until he stands quietly and responds to you willingly, and then when you are returning, make sure he walks quietly--if he rushes, you back him up and stop. Eventually he should learn that the quieter and less freaky he is, the faster he'll get back to his girlfriend!

Equinecrazy33

12-12-2009 10:05 PM

Hey its me. I just think you should sell steely and sonyy. you cant do anything with sonny. and i think arty feels that steely is more dominantthan him, and you dont have to sell lulu. when i put my horses there arty will have company so he might not feel so protective over lulu

equiniphile

12-12-2009 10:15 PM

Okay thanks

thunderhooves

12-13-2009 01:00 AM

He'll get over it. And its not liely he will stop if the others are gone and more come in. :) i hope you'll figure it out! it's just like weaning; you have to seperate the mom and baby, and the baby gets all sad looking and pitiful, but its for the best. :) And the foal gets used to it after a while.

equiniphile

12-13-2009 01:55 PM

You don't think I can just separate them for a while? Or somehow get it into Arthur's head that he has to cooperate, with or without Lulu?

1dog3cats17rodents

12-13-2009 02:12 PM

If it is possible to seperate the, that would be a good way to deal with it.

thunderhooves

12-13-2009 02:19 PM

Yes, you should seperate them if you are able. Like, in seprate pastures/stalls/ etc.